„I just want to apologise for the way this entire thing has been handled,“ Gemma wrote in a post. „We accept responsibility completely. The way this sub has been run is unacceptable. Things will be changing drastically.“

But some critics say it was the lack of a swift correction and response that led to the community falling into disarray in the first place.

Community members also want moderators to more closely police the content in the subreddit. The most upvoted posts on Monday were criticizing what users see as neglect from the previous moderators, who they say let the subreddit turn into an Instagram-like flood of polished selfies rather than discussions and recommendations about makeup.

Users are also asking that moderators to be on the lookout for brand „shills“ — either paid staffers or influencers for cosmetics brands who build buzz for products through fake accounts.

Five current or former moderators didn’t immediately respond to INSIDER’s request for comment.